It’s not common for Red Sox fans and sports radio hosts to talk about the same topic discussed inside the Red Sox headquarters. This happens on very rare occasions but Pablo Sandoval’s continuous weight gain has both parties involved in the issue. John Farrell was interviewed this time last year and spoke about the team not having any issues with Sandoval’s weight. However, his opinion has changed right after the third baseman arrived for their spring training. He said in his latest interview that Pablo needs to come back in camp training when he’s in a better condition. This is not only because Sandoval wouldn’t look visually appealing in his Red Sox uniform but also because they cannot afford to have another defense liability. The team has already taken a high risk by putting Hanley Ramirez in the first base post. This is already his fourth change in position in a span of five seasons. He used to be a shortstop and first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After that, he played left field for the Red Sox. A situation affects management, fans and even online prediction sites.
If we look into Sandoval’s glory days as a third baseman, he was an above average defender in three of his four years playing for the San Francisco Giants. He also once nominated for a Gold Glove Pitcher’s award before signing for the Red Sox. During last season where Sandoval played on the field, they have lost 32 games by one or two runs. He was considered to be the worst defender in the game. According to Fangraphs.com, he only had 11 defensive runs saved. If they had decided to use a different player for third base, they would’ve allowed 11 fewer runs last year. They could’ve some of those one or two run games. Sandoval doesn’t necessarily bring the best skills for the team with his poor base running. He once got thrown out for trying to go from first to home base when the ball hit into the gap and slowly rolled to the fence. After this incident, he was taken out of the game due to dehydration. These are the reasons why the Sox are hoping to avoid any further issues this year. They want Sandoval to trim down so he could play being in his best shape.
According to Farell, Dave Dombrowski who is the president of baseball operations talked to Ramirez and his agent about his weight. It seems that this conversation was taken too lightly by Sandoval as he arrived during training telling everyone that he had no idea that the Sox wanted him to lose weight. Although he is not in the best physical shape, Farrell announced that he appeared to be getting better. In an interview he said, “We feel like it will allow his range to be approved for third base which we need.” The team has come to the resolution that Sandoval shouldn’t play until he loses the excess weight. Farrell also hopes that he will improve his game when he comes back. Sandoval was able to swing 49% of pitches outside the strike zone last year which is the highest known mark in the major league. Farrell also said, “He was lunging a lot of pitches last year and just wasn’t in a good position to hit.”
Travis Shaw has a very competitive attitude which has caught the attention of his manager. He told the Herald in an interview last week that he wasn’t contented with the idea of being a bench player. He was aiming to steal a starting job with the Red Sox. Shaw is a good third baseman who played mostly first base in the minors. He also played left field during camp. Farrell had this to say, “I appreciate Travis’ burning drive to be a guy in the opening day lineup. We’ll see how that plays out. He came to us last year and performed exceptionally well, better than some people anticipated given the consistent power he showed.” Ramirez was not seen at camp and took the entire weekend off. The workouts were optional.
Bullpen sessions this early in camp rarely gets anyone’s attention but this time around, some new guys stand out. Closer Craig Kimbrel and starter David Price has got fans impressed that they are able to command a bullpen, take one day off, and immediately be back on the mound again. Farrell said, “You get into these multiple bullpen sessions now and they’re still carrying their command through an entire 12 minutes of throwing. I think it speaks to their conditioning coming into camp.”
